Friday, September 13, 2013

Ironman Chattanooga 2014 - what a registration nightmare for some

Ironman Chatt, Nooga, TN, Choo... or whatever you want to nickname it had a tough day on registration day.

I wrote about the event selling out in 3 minutes. Well, rumors are floating around that a large chunk of spots were given to tri clubs, and created a logistics problem when trying to fill maybe 1500 slots instead of 2500. Then, Active.com seemed to have blown up. So many people complained that they were at the reg screen and hit enter to submit their payment info and then poof, kicked out and no registration.

Some made it in, seemingly, and then got an email from WTC that they did not, but get priority to register for other IM races.

WTC said they would look into it and try to find the people that got to the payment screen and then booted out to make it right. I don't think they get Nooga entry, but probably priority for some other race. And, don't ask me about the IT side on how they intend to find out who was in and who was out.

That's a pain. You're suppose to get into the reg process and that locks your spot until you complete the transaction. So, a lot of unhappy people on the Ironman Facebook page.

But, after getting confirmation, yours truly is in. Stupid you may say for registering for another IM distance triathlon without racing IM Lake Tahoe to find out of I really want to race another one? Sure. But, this time it's for a good reason, and it's within driving distance.

RIDE TO GIVE

The Ride to Give is a charitable non-profit organization based in Nyack NY, just outside of NYC. It was founded by Kaete Nazaroff and her husband, eight-time Ironman Dave Nazaroff.

In the summer of 2013 Dave, followed by a support van with a team of 3, completed the first annual Ride from Nyack to Jefferson, GA (over 900 miles by bicycle) in 5 days to raise awareness and donations for the family of Tripp Halstead, a toddler who suffered a traumatic brain injury in fall of 2012. The Ride raised $180,000 for the Halstead family, plus an additional $17,000 for Sunshine on a Ranney Day, a 501C(3) charity that renovates rooms and homes for children with illnesses and special needs.

The Ride to Give intends to complete the Ride annually, benefitting different children in need each year, and will continually post and raise awareness for other causes dear to their hearts.

MENDED LITTLE HEARTS OF KANSAS CITY

Mended Hearts/Mended Little Hearts is a national non-profit organization that provides resources and support for patients, caregivers, family members, friends, and medical professionals who have or know someone who suffers from a congenital heart defect (CHD). Their team of medical professional, patients and parents of CHD kids can provide support by visiting with patients and families in the hospital, providing resource information, hosting speaking events, providing meals/care-bags, fundraising, and coordinating care.

The goal...

Minimum is $5000. That will be split down the middle for each charity. Past that, it still goes to the charities. The more, the merrier.

Oh, and my personal goal is to get to the finish line in one piece. :)

Why am I nuts?

Through the experiences with our second child having a congenital heart defect, my wife and I have become uniquely in tune with parents and children in health situations that have vague diagnose, experimental solutions and sometimes no real solutions or answers.

To help special needs children and families in need that may not qualify for traditional programs for assistance, I am combining my passion for triathlons with Ride to Give and Mended Little Hearts of Kansas City to race Ironman Chattanooga in 2014. Half of his funds will go to Ride to Give to help children like Tripp Halstead and the other half will go to Mended Little Hearts of Kansas City to support children and families suffering from cardiac complications.

WHAT YOU CAN DO!

READ THIS if anything - contribute whatever you can. $3 every week. $2 every two weeks... whatever you can! Even $0.50 will help.

Today (Friday) is my last longish ride day for Ironman Lake Tahoe. I plan on 3 hours of solid riding, and coincidentally our son, Liam, celebrated turning 3 this week!

So, to kick things off, consider a $3 Friday contribution for every hour of my suffering.